Flexible flat cables, which may include and which may otherwise be known as flexible circuits or flexible printed circuits, typically comprise flat flexible conductors, usually copper, that are arranged side by side on a thin, flexible sheet or film of plastic insulation such as polyethylene. The flexible conductors may also be embedded in the plastic insulator or sandwiched between two flexible sheets of plastic insulation that are bonded together.
Low insertion force (LIF) and zero insertion force (ZIF) connectors are known in the field for use in connecting printed circuit boards to flexible flat cables. One aspect of the known LIF and ZIF connectors is that a flexible flat cable having exposed conductors is inserted into a LIF or ZIF connector that is soldered or otherwise affixed to a printed circuit board. However, this presents hazards during assembly in applications where a powered flexible circuit must be attached to a circuit board. In one such application, a lithium battery is used to provide power. The battery is attached to an electronic control circuit board to monitor and control voltage. The use of known LIF and ZIF connectors exposes assembly operators to uncovered powered circuit traces when assembling the connection.
Known LIF and ZIF connectors typically lack positive locks to verify full insertion of the flexible cable to the circuit and secondary locks to improve assembly reliability. In many known LIF and ZIF connectors it is difficult to accurately align the flexible cable to the connector or circuit board resulting in shorting across circuits. In addition, many ZIF designs require the use of a separate wedge or secondary cam to apply a normal force to a terminal contacting a conductive trace on a flexible circuit. The use of an extra step to insert a wedge causes misalignments.